


Nightgown

by ecarius



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Genderqueer!Yugi, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-31
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 13:32:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2230869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ecarius/pseuds/ecarius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yugi likes to wear nightgowns, and Yami doesn't care. It causes some tension between them and their friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Yami began to eagerly anticipate ten o’clock.

After finishing his homework, Yugi would rise to shower, and since Yami had begun to make it a habit to remain out of the puzzle in the evenings, Yugi liked to include him in his nightly ritual. It was their shared bit of quiet intimacy, and the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle was grateful to have the opportunity for some alone time with his partner.

They’d drift to Yugi’s closet and pick out nightclothes then go into the bathroom to talk quietly for the twenty minutes it took for Yugi to bathe. Yugi had been a little bashful about his nakedness at first (Yami himself was unperturbed by it), but they shared a body, shared a mind. It felt natural to share almost everything between them now.

“I’ve never seen you wear this one before,” Yami said, pointing out something shiny and lavender in Yugi’s pile of nightclothes. Yugi tugged it out, steadying the top of the pile so it didn’t topple over, and he stopped. His nose scrunched a little.

“I forgot I had this thing,” he said, holding it out in front of him for Yami to see.

It wasn’t the only nightgown Yugi owned, but it was certainly unique. Yami, imagining the garment on his host, was glad he had pointed it out.

Almost all of Yugi’s nightgowns had spaghetti straps; it was his preference. This one, however, was a more fancy than his others. On Yugi, it would probably fall just above his knees. Four or five rows of lacy ruffles at the top were accented with a tiny decorative bow right in the center, and beneath that was a length of thin, silky fabric that formed the skirt.

Yugi glanced at Yami, and the spirit gave him an encouraging smile. It was enough to convince his partner, and Yugi tossed the garment over his shoulder. The two headed to the bathroom, and Yugi, completely comfortable with Yami’s presence, immediately began to strip off his tighter leather clothes.

After Yugi removed his shirt, he put the toilet lid down, and Yami perched there, his spot while Yugi showered. The clothes were haphazardly piled on the edge of the sink, crowned by the Millenium Puzzle and its chain.

“Why haven’t you worn that gown in a while?” Yami watched the naked boy get into the shower and turn the water on with a fond smile.

Yugi squirted some shampoo into his hand, and Yami almost felt as though he could smell the familiar lavender and rosemary blend—though that was impossible in his current form. “It’s the first one,” Yugi said. He stilled for a second before continuing to work on his hair. “It’s the first dress I ever bought.”

“Ah,” Yami said, not understanding.

“I just…I always end up feeling weird when I wear it.” Frowning, Yami waited for his partner to continue. “It’s a little…sexy, I guess, and I always get embarrassed that that’s the first one I bought for myself.”

“I like it,” Yami offered.

Yugi huffed, rinsing his hair. “I already told you I was going to wear it.” Yami’s lips twitched upwards, the same expression he wore when he placed down a particularly strategic trap card. Yugi glanced his way, and though he appeared a little blurry through the shower curtain, Yami could see his partner’s roll his eyes.

“It looks like it’ll be comfortable.”

Yugi didn’t respond immediately. His face was tilted up to the spray, eyes closed as he washed his face, and Yami watched the water ricochet off his skin, some of it slipping down his chin. And down.

He looked away, let his thoughts clear. It was odd that he often felt attracted to a body he shared, and no matter how he rationalized it, it made him feel narcissistic. The feelings only ever bubbled up when Yugi was in control, but even outside of Yugi’s body, it didn’t make his desire feel any more natural.

“Yami?” Yugi peeked out of the shower, wincing as the cool air caressed his face. Steam was wafting up out of the shower, and some of it was escaping around Yugi’s exposed head. If he paid enough attention—and he didn’t dare to—he’d be able to see the steam coming directly off Yugi’s skin.

“Yes, Partner?” Luckily, for Yami it was easy to let the thoughts go if he really wanted to. There was no need to burden Yugi with his feelings. Yugi’s eyes narrowed at him before he slowly slipped back into his shower and retreated back under the spray of the showerhead.

Yugi worked his hands around his bar of soap. “Are you okay?”

He was shocked by the sudden question and blinked a few times in shock, wondering where the inquiry had come from. “Yes. I’m fine. Why?”

“You get thoughtful sometimes is all,” Yugi mumbled.

Yami chuckled, folding his arms over his chest. “Am I not allowed to think anymore?”

“Nope,” Yugi immediately replied cheerfully. “But you know you can talk to me about…stuff, right? Anything you want.”

“Is there anything _you_ want to talk about?”

Yugi hesitated, cupping water in his hands and letting it drop. It was obvious he didn’t really want to get out of the shower just yet, but he was clean. “Does it bother you?”

“Does what bother me?” Yami asked, perplexed.

Sighing, Yugi shut off the water and shoved back the curtain. He reached for his towel and began to dry off, and Yami mourned the fact that he couldn’t do something as simple as hand his partner his towel. “Whenever you pick a nightgown for me, you get quiet afterwards.” That was a surprising revelation for Yami. “Does it bother you?”

Yugi had tried to hide it from him before, when Yami had finally been revealed to him. Whenever he’d dress, he would be careful to muffle their mental link; he never showed Yami what was in his closet. Grandpa knew about them—the clothes in Yugi’s closet that he didn’t wear out of his room—but no one else.

When Yugi had donned the first one, revealed himself to Yami in it, the spirit knew he’d been given a gift. Yugi trusted him with such a private thing.

“It’s never bothered me,” Yami said.

Yugi toweled his soaking hair, hanging and dripping on his shoulders. “Not at all?” He sounded a little skeptical but hopeful.

Yami sighed and gave his partner a fond smile. “No. You like them. If they make you happy, they don’t bother me.” Something about his answers seemed to irk Yugi, and Yami couldn’t imagine what it was that bothered his partner about his response. The subject, however, had always been a sensitive one—right up there with the fact that Yami had “punished” people when he’d first been released from the puzzle. It wasn’t just about clothing. The subject was deeper, and Yami had always been able to sense that from his host. There was a story there, more to the secret.

“You’re very considerate, Yami,” Yugi finally said. The words sounded false to the spirit, as did the smile that followed, and he drew in closer to the naked boy, covered only with his towel. Yugi was taking longer than normal to dry his hair. He was stalling.

“It’s your body, not mine,” he tried.

Yugi snorted. “Yeah. It doesn’t…people still think it’s weird.” He looked straight at Yami, right into his eyes, before his gaze turned to the nightgown hanging on the back of the door. “Anyway, you’re allowed to have a say. Since we share this body.”

Yami sighed, shoulders dropping. “It really doesn’t bother me, Yugi.” He set a hand on Yugi’s shoulder, and Yugi placed a hand over Yami’s immediately, offering a more sincere smile. “People have,” Yami wondered if he could force the words out without combusting, “obviously never seen you in one of these before.” He turned his eyes to the nightgown, and Yugi laughed, a burst of shocked laughter. Though he couldn’t help the blush that cross his face, Yami felt his embarrassment was worth it.

“Yami!” he said, delighted and tickled. Yugi shook his head, chuckling a little more before calming. When he quieted, he was still smiling. Yami counted it as a win. “Thanks.”

“Anytime, partner.”

Yugi took the nightgown and hung the damp towel in its place. He slipped the lavender garment over his head and tugged it down gingerly, careful not to pull at the delicate fabric too hard. Yami watched, couldn’t not.

Water dripped from Yugi’s damp hair, right onto his shoulder, and he opened the door, slipping back into his room with Yami following a few paces behind.

Yami didn’t mind it. He didn’t have a preference for dresses himself, but Yugi looked lovely. It was a bit strange, he mused, that they had such different taste.   
  
You’re very…masculine, Yugi had said very slowly after they’d really begun to speak to one another. Yami hadn’t really understood. That was becoming normal around Yugi. He observed the way Yugi interacted, and Yami was intimately aware of the things that bothered Yugi. The teen was the center of his world, his savior. Anything that threatened Yugi’s happiness was of interest to him.

He’d begun to catalog the things said that caused Yugi discomfort, and Jou’s casual off-hand comments were a main source of discomfort.

_Man up, Yug!_

_Just tryin’ to get you to toughin’ up a little._

_You’re going to see that chick flick with Anzu? Where’s your pride as a man?_

Yami had asked why Yugi didn’t speak up about it. Yugi dismissed the question with a shake of his head, muttering how it wasn’t a big deal. Yami knew that wasn’t the case, but he struggled to think of a way to defend Yugi.

It was beyond gratitude. Yugi had solved the Millennium Puzzle, but he had also become Yami’s friend. Their connection bred a certain type of intimacy, and it made Yami very protective of Yugi’s wellbeing. He liked Jou. Yugi often joked that Yami was better friends with him than Yugi himself was, but Jou’s ability to bring Yugi’s moods plummeting with a simple sentence grated him.

Sometimes, it made him hate the blond. He tried to steer away from the emotion, for Yugi’s sake, but sometimes it surged up despite his best attempts to resist reverting back to the primal state he’d been in at his initial release from the puzzle.

“Yami,” Yugi’s voice was firm, and Yami turned to face him.

“Yes?”

“Don’t think badly of Jou.” Yugi had one of his pillows set on his lap and was running palms over the fabric, but he kept his eyes glued to the spirit of the puzzle. “He means well.”

Moving, Yami sat on the bed across from Yugi. One of his partner’s spaghetti straps had slipped off his shoulder, but Yami lacked the physicality to fix it. He looked away, kept his focus on Yugi’s face, his unhappy, almost exasperated frown. “When he makes you upset, you should tell him.” Yami crossed his arms again, but his intense expressions softened just a touch. He knew Yugi was weary of confrontations with his friends. “If you want, I can talk to him about it.”

“No,” Yugi said, before Yami could even finish his sentence. He shook his head, the damp blond locks swaying around his face. “I appreciate that you’re concerned and all, but no.”

“So you’ll discuss it with him yourself?”

“Yami…” Yugi winced a little, no doubt feeling Yami’s irritation burst forward. He didn’t like that this wasn’t going to be solved and settled as it should be. “It doesn’t bother me that much. Everyone says things like that to me all the time—”

“They shouldn’t.”

“Well, they do,” Yugi said, testily. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Yami stubbornly. In return, Yami crossed his own arms, straightened his back, and gave his partner a hard stare. Yugi tried to return the look but, after a minute or so of silence, he turned away. Uncrossing his arms, he reached and slid his strap back up his shoulder.

Yami retreated to the puzzle.


	2. Chapter 2

“Late night?” Jou asked, settling a hand across Yugi’s shoulder. School was over, and though Yugi felt intense relief at the fact, he also dreaded dealing with his friends. Even after getting through the school day, his eyes were a little red, more than a little puffy. He’d managed to avoid his friends at lunch time by hiding out in the bathroom.

Now, with no other options, he offered a half-smile to Jou and hoped they wouldn't ask any questions.   

“Yeah.” 

Anzu frowned. She had always been very perceptive when it came to Yugi’s feelings. 

“Was it a new game?” Jou was always eager to know what Yugi was playing. He lent the blond a lot of his games, and Jou trusted his reviews of them.

Yugi hesitated before chuckling quietly. “Uh huh,” he said, sounding sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck. It sounded like an easy way out of the conversation. Jou smiled, patted Yugi’s back hard a few times. 

“What game?” 

“What?” 

Jou blinked. “What game was it that kept you up all night?” 

“There wasn’t a game,” Anzu said before Yugi could answer himself, crossing her arms and looking at Yugi with squinted eyes. Yugi looked away, wishing he’d faked sick for the day. He shifted out of Jou’s hold and plopped himself down in his chair. Without thinking, he put his hands around the Millennium Puzzle. 

There was nothing. Normally, Yami would acknowledge him, especially after his classes were finished, but at the moment, he felt nothing. The spirit was ignoring him, and when he thought of it, Yugi could feel his throat constrict. _Oh no, you’re not. You’re not crying at school,_ he ordered himself. “Don’t worry about it, guys,” he said. 

Anzu moved closer to his desk. “Yugi, you can talk to us.” Yugi knew that he could. Anzu had always been a good friend, a fantastic listener. She was compassionate and always willing to stand up for herself and her friends. 

“Yeah, we’re your friends, aren’t we?” Jou said, smiling lopsidedly. Though Jou was rough around the edges and said things that often made him self-conscious, Yugi knew he was also a trustworthy friend. 

He just didn’t know how well Jou would understand. 

Yugi decided he was too exhausted to have this conversation and offered a reassuring smile. “It’s no big deal.” 

“What’s no big deal?” Honda asked, walking over with his school bag slung over his shoulder. He’d gone to help a girl find a missing broom and dustpan. 

“Something’s wrong with Yugi, and he won’t tell us about it,” Anzu replied immediately, looking unimpressed with Yugi’s silence.    

“Oh?” Honda frowned. “Come on, man.” Yugi flinched a little, but Anzu was the only one to catch it. “We’re your friends here. You gotta tell us when something’s up.”

“Exactly,” Jou added. “Spill it.” He crossed his arms, mirroring Anzu, and Honda chuckled a little and did the same. Yugi tried to smile, but it didn’t come out quite right.  Honda let his arms drop, seeing that Yugi was really upset.

 “Yami’s angry with me,” Yugi finally muttered after a long pause.

Jou opened his mouth but closed it quickly. He uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on Yugi’s desk. “Did you drop the puzzle or something?” He sounded skeptical, but then again, Yugi and the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle got along so well. Yugi, in general, got along with almost everyone and was usually the one mediating fights between his friends.

Anzu rolled her eyes. “What did you fight about?”

Yugi started to open his mouth to answer but reconsidered. He let the puzzle fall out of his hands with a sigh. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Maybe we could help,” Honda offered.  

“Yeah, we could. Four heads are better than one, right?” Jou added a winning smile and a thumbs up. Yugi didn’t appear phased, scooting back his chair and rising slowly.

“I really don’t think I want—” Yugi started to speak again but grew quiet. His face went blank. Then he was scowling, his eyes boring into Jou’s. Anzu looked a little surprised as his appearance, and Honda’s forehead was furrowed in confusion. Jou looked a little stunned at the hostility.

Anzu took advantage of the opportunity, “Yami, are you and Yugi arguing right now?”

Yami sat back in Yugi’s chair, grit his teeth, and considered exactly how much he wanted to reveal. “It’s just a small disagreement.”

Jou’s eyebrow rose. “You guys don’t ever fight though.”

“Everyone fights sometime,” Honda countered with a shrug. “But…it is a little weird. What are you guys fighting about?” He scratched his cheek a little, thinking. “Isn’t that like fighting yourself?”

Yami scowled, lip curling over his teeth, an eerie expression to see cross Yugi’s face. It was amazing how different the two of them could look—even in the same body. “Yugi and I are  _not_ the same person,” he said.    

“Obviously,” Anzu said, rolling her eyes and shooting Honda a look. “But Honda’s right. It is weird.”

Jou nodded his agreement. “What  _are_ you guys fighting about?”

Crossing his arms, Yami closed his eyes and exhaled. When he opened his eyes, Jou was surprised to see him look so determined. “I’m angry at him because he’s not angry at you.”

“Huh?” Jou stuck a finger in his ear and wiggled it around, face scrunched up so much it looked like he’d sucked down too much sour candy at once. “Wanna run that by me again, buddy?” he said, more confused than anything.

Yami began to tap his finger on his forearm. Anzu, noticing the potential disaster waiting to happen, tried to defuse the situation.

“Did you do something to Yugi?” she asked Jou, suspicion coloring her tone. She wouldn’t have been surprised if Jou  _had_ done something. He wasn’t exactly known for thinking before doing or saying anything, but he rarely did things maliciously. Maybe this was all a big misunderstanding?

“I didn’t!” Jou shouted. “Come on, what the hell, man? What’d I even do?”

“You probably opened your big mouth,” Honda said with a snort. Jou punched him in the arm.

“It’s not something you’ve recently done,” Yami began, attempting to remain calm and patient. Yugi was frantic inside his soul room, and he did feel a little guilty forcing himself into control. It felt wrong, but it felt more wrong to allow Yugi to continue on being hurt by his friends. “It’s something you’ve always done. I’m just tired of Yugi ignoring that it bothers him.” He smiled at Jou, but Jou shivered at the sight of the expression. He knew Yugi would never allow the spirit to hurt anyone now, not without a really good reason, but it didn’t make Yami any less scary. When it came to Yugi, Jou knew the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle was willing to do all sorts of horrible things.

“Okay,” Jou said. “What am I doing?”

“You didn’t do anything!” The shout startled all three of Yugi’s friends.   
  
Yugi was back in control, standing with his hands planted firmly on the desk.

“Yug, are you okay?” Jou asked, moving closer. Yugi was crying so obviously not, but he didn’t know if it was because of him—or because of Yami. Yugi didn’t answer. Instead, he darted out of the classroom. His friends stood in stunned silence for a minute.

“Okay, that was weird, wasn’t it?”

Anzu and Honda nodded. The pharaoh didn’t usually take over Yugi’s body like that. They seemed to have an agreement now. Before, when Yugi had blackouts, it was because the pharaoh had been too weak to reveal himself to Yugi but this was completely different, a power struggle over their shared body.

“I guess we’re stopping by the game shop?” Honda said. His eyes drifted down beside Yugi’s desk where his schoolbag sat, leaning against one of the desk’s legs. “He was so upset he forgot his bag.”

Jou didn’t say anything and followed them out of the classroom, falling in step a little behind his two friends. He mulled over Yami’s words as they exited the building, but they didn’t make any sense to him.

_It’s something you’ve always done. I’m just tired of Yugi ignoring that it bothers him._

What the hell did that even mean? Despite Yugi’s seemingly openness, it was hard to get a read on when things upset him. Jou assumed he just didn’t get upset that often. Yugi always did seem like the person who tried not to let too many things bother him.

Then again, Yugi wasn’t one to burden people with his problems either.   
  
Jou didn’t want to be a burden to him, didn’t want to hurt Yugi. He wracked his brain, tried to pinpoint a time when Yugi seemed just a little bit uncomfortable or irritated with him. He was coming up with nothing.

He rubbed at his hair furiously, kicked a pebble off the sidewalk into the road with a little more force than necessary. In doing so, he almost lost his footing completely, and the commotion caught the attention of Honda and Anzu, who both also appeared to be in deep thought.

Smiling sheepishly, he mused his own hair. “One of you have to enlighten me here because I’ve got zilch. Did you have any idea what Yami was talking about?”

“You do kinda go overboard with the teasing,” Anzu said. She frowned though, looking at Yugi’s bag in her hand. “Yugi never seemed that bothered by it though so I don’t think it’s that exactly.”

Honda jumped in, “You got any idea what it could be?” Anzu looked thoughtful but didn't offer up her opinion. 

“Come on, Anzu! I’m dyin’ here. If I did something to Yugi, I wanna know.”

Anzu sighed. “It’s just a feeling first off—so I might not even be right, but I don’t think Yugi likes it very much when you start in on all that ‘ _You’re not acting like a real man’_ stuff.”

“Um, what?” Honda looked stumped.

“I don’t say things like that!” Jou said, crossing his arms and frowning. 

Anzu sighed and stopped, and the two boys followed her leave. “No, you don’t...exactly do that, and I know you don’t mean anything by it.” Jou looked appeased. “But,” his face fell a little, “you  _do_ tease him a lot about how he needs to toughen up and be a man.” She scowled suddenly, “And don’t think I don’t know about you giving him the videos!”

“Hey, he totally wanted to borrow those!” Jou said, a little pink in the cheeks.

“Really?”

“We’re _guys_ , Anzu. It’s a guy thing. Honda, back me up here, man!” 

Anzu scoffed and started to walk a little faster than before when Honda nodded in agreement. “I’m trying to tell you Yugi doesn’t like that kind of thing.”

“Come on,” Honda said, jogging a little to catch up to her. Jou quickly followed. “That can’t be it.”

“I’m just telling you what I think, and _I think_ Yugi doesn’t like it when you point out stuff like that. His dad—” She cut herself off and tried to backtrack. “Look, I’ve been friends with Yugi longer than you so I know—”

Jou stopped again, letting Anzu ramble for a few seconds before cutting in, “Whoa, stop! His dad? Anzu…you really can’t leave things like that hanging out there.”

“Seriously,” Honda added, eyes wide. They didn't really know a whole lot about Yugi’s family, or how he came to live with his grandfather and mother.

Biting her lip, Anzu looked off down the street. They were a little over halfway to the game shop, and she was starting to feel guilty. “Look I don’t know a lot about him, but I know Yugi feels that it’s his fault that he’s not around.”

“Okay…” Jou said, lost.

Anzu sighed, struggled to find the words to explain what she was getting at. “He thinks he’s a disappointment.”

“Okay, I got that.” Jou appeared to be having a little trouble putting the pieces together, but he was slowing getting a clearer picture. “So his dad maybe said stuff like that to him? And I’m making him feel like a disappointment or something?”

“Something…like that.” She huffed out a breath. “Look, you know that Yugi’s not a typical guy.” Jou opened his mouth to protest. “ _You know what I mean._ He got picked on a lot before he met you guys because he didn’t want to fight, and he doesn’t really like all the rough and tumble stuff you guys do.” Making a frustrated sound in the back of her throat, she stood rigid as she struggled to find the right words. “He’s just…Yugi, you know?”

Jou opened and closed his mouth a few times, nodding at Anzu’s conclusion, and a few strange noises came out of his mouth, nothing resembling speech. Finally, he shook his head, and when he stopped, his jaw squared in determination.   
  
“I’ll just have to ask him myself.” 


	3. Chapter 3

Sugoroku’s shop was empty when the three entered, and Jou could tell by the way his eyes flickered to the stairs leading to their living space that Yugi had returned home. He had been a little concerned that Yugi would flee elsewhere, but the game shop was Yugi’s sanctuary.  
  
When Sugoroku turned to them, with the ringing of the shop bell, he leveled with a questioning look.

“Hey, gramps,” Jou greeted, trying not to sound so guilty—especially since he wasn’t exactly sure what he’d done. Anzu’s theory seemed plausible, but he still wasn’t sure about it. Sure, he’d seen Yugi upset before, but it normally took something pretty big to shake him. But Yami had said it was _him_ they were fighting about, and why would the spirit lie about something like that? When Yugi had come out, too, right after that…well, he wouldn’t have been so upset if Yami hadn’t been telling the truth, would he?

“Hello,” Sugoroku said, slowly. “Yugi’s upstairs in his room. I heard the door slam earlier.”

Jou nodded, “Mind if we head up and talk to him?”

Smiling a little, Sugoroku nodded his consent, and the three thanked him and headed upstairs. Yugi’s door was closed, and Jou was the one who ended up knocking. “Yug, it’s me.”

“Go away.” The response was muffled and immediate.

To Jou’s surprise, Anzu shoved him aside and took command. “Yugi, open the door.” Something was mumbled on the other so quietly that none of them heard, but there was shuffling. The door opened just a crack; Yugi peered out and then opened it all the way, not looking any of them in the eye. They shuffled in: Anzu first, then Jou, then Honda. Yugi shut the door after them.

“Yugi,” Jou started, getting straight to business. “I’m not sure what I did, but I wanna know what it is so I don’t upset you, yeah? I’m your friend, and if I’ve done or said anything—”

Yugi pawed at his face and made a pained noise. “Yami shouldn’t have said anything about it, Jou. You don’t have to apologize.”

“Maybe he shouldn’t have been the one to say something,” Honda said. He looked uncomfortable and leaned against Yugi’s desk. “But if you’re upset at Jou, you should tell him why so he doesn’t do it again.” His lips quirked upwards, “Though knowing him, it’ll take a while to fix his behavior.”

Whining Jou threw him a dirty glare, “I’m _not_ a dog. I don’t have to be trained outta a behavior. If Yugi doesn’t like something, I’ll stop doing it. Plain and simple.” Honda held his hands up in surrender but was still smiling a little. Yugi wanted to smile, too, but couldn’t manage it.

“So?” Anzu encouraged. “What’s up with you?”

Yugi looked at them for a moment before plopping onto the floor. Jou and Honda exchanged a glance but quickly followed suit. Anzu’s eyebrows rose and she knelt strategically to avoid revealing anything under her skirt.

“I wish Yami hadn’t said anything,” Yugi muttered. His eyes were a lot more red and puffy, and his cheeks looked a little red, too, like he’d rubbed at the skin a little too roughly.

“I’m glad he did,” Jou said. “I mean, if I’m doing something that’s making you cry I wanna know about it.” Yugi laughed at that, but it was out of embarrassment. Quickly, he covered his face, and Jou was afraid he’d start crying again. “Aw, don’t cry! I know I can be a little…rough, but I promise I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or nothin’.” Panicking, he turned to Anzu as if seeking guidance.

“‘m not crying,” Yugi said, uncovering his face. He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply. “I just really don’t want to talk about this right now.” Grimacing, Yugi went quiet, and his brow furrowed. For a flash, it seemed like he was more  _angry_ than upset.

Honda caught on, “Are you talking to the spirit?”

“Yes. He says he’ll force his way out if I don’t tell you—and tell you himself.”

Jou winced, “That’s a little…”

Yugi nodded once in agreement and exhaled loudly. “So I guess I’ll be talking. It’s not as big a deal as Yami’s making it out to be. I just—sometimes you say things to me.”

“Like the stuff about manning up?” Jou suggested. Plucking at the loose threads on the hem of his uniform, Yugi nodded. “I’ll try not to do that anymore, but I don’t know if I really… _get_ it? I’m not tryin’ to be difficult, but could you tell me why it bothers you when I say stuff like that?”

_I have really great friends_ , Yugi thought. Yami was feeling pretty smug in his soul room, Yugi could feel it radiating through him, but Yugi was far from happy with him. He hadn’t revealed really anything to his friends, and Yami had betrayed his trust. There was a little guilt filtering through. Still, Yugi knew that this was a good start, and if he could just explain it well enough, he could maintain his friendship. Keep them. He’d never really had friends before, and these were keepers.

“I don’t care about that stuff,” Yugi said, trying to keep his tone flat and neutral as possible. Jou listened intently, curious for Yugi to continue and explain what he meant. “I’m not  _manly_ , I guess you could say. I don’t like manly things. I don’t do manly things. It kinda sucks when people keep telling you it’s wrong to not be interested in that kind of stuff.”  

“I think I get it,” Jou said after a moment of thought.

“Did your dad…”

“Honda!” Anzu hissed, nudging him with her foot.

“Anzu, I can see your—”

“It’s your fault!” she said, quickly tucking her legs back under.

Yugi began to worry his lip; all eyes turned back to him. “Yeah. He didn’t like it.”

“Like what exactly?” Honda asked. “I mean, you’re not…you’re pretty normal. You know.” He waved his hands to illustrate his point, and Yugi grimaced in response.

Growing very still, Yugi struggled to answer. “When I was a kid…” He inhaled sharply, tried to exhale slowly. Yami tried to be comforting, but there was a hint of curiosity in him, too, leaking through their mental link. This story was new to him, and he was always eager to know more about his partner.

“I didn’t look like a boy, see? I didn’t look quite like a girl either, I guess.” Jou, Honda, and Anzu listened raptly. “My mom never really cared about it. I was a healthy child, and I was happy. She mostly let me do what I wanted. I played with girls and boys and liked girly things and boyish things. My dad…he didn’t like that I was so—” Yugi stopped, waiting for the right word to come. “Free, I suppose. I used to let the girls at school paint my nails, and sometimes, they’d give me things.”

“Things?” Anzu asked quietly, speaking almost as though she didn’t want to break the storytelling spell Yugi had fallen under. Yugi was glad of it; if she’d jarred him out of the mood, he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to continue.

“Games, music, books, toys,” Yugi started. “Clothes.”

“Clothes like—” Honda trailed off.

“Like dresses. And sweaters. I looked really cute in pastels when I was a kid. My mom has pictures somewhere.” Yugi regretted the words almost as soon as they left his mouth.  “My dad got fed up with it, said mom messed me up.”

“I think you turned out fine,” Jou reassured. Honda nodded in agreement and smiled winningly. Yugi wanted to smile, but he felt dirty. He’d left out something important, and he didn’t want to say it. He already felt like he’d said enough.  _You don’t have to say anymore,_ Yami was saying. The spirit of the puzzle was attempting to soothe him, whispering apologies and encouragement.  

“Yeah,” Yugi said. The word felt flat and conclusive on his tongue, a mistake.  

Anzu seemed to sense there was something else. “Yugi, it’s okay.”

Jou frowned. “Do you still…” He tried not to look uncomfortable, but he was having a hard time looking at Yugi’s face. He was fidgeting, and after a second of silence, he quickly tried to cover his tracks. “I mean, it’s fine.”

Yugi’s eyes narrowed, and for a second, Jou thought that maybe Yami’d had enough and had taken over. But he knew Yugi’s eyes. It was just the first time he’d ever seen his friend make that expression. “Is it?”

Swallowing, Jou nodded. “Yeah, it is,” he said stronger. This was the guy who’d freely handed over the money for his sister’s operation. Before that, he’d handed over his star chips, lowering his chance to win even though he had something important to fight for himself. Yugi was a good person, probably the best out of all of them, and really, it shouldn’t bother him so much. None of that stuff changed, no matter how weird it seemed to him.

Yugi bent forward, pressing his face into his knees and curling in on himself.

“Yugi,” Anzu tried to reach out to him, but he was already uncurling himself—Yami was.

He looked pained and surveyed their friends with a cool expression. “Yugi’s tired,” he said. Crossing his arms, he stared them down as if daring them to speak. Jou stared back for a while, and Honda had a hard time making eye contact. Anzu’s eyes were full of worry.

“He’ll be okay, won’t he?” she asked.

Yami stared. “That depends.”

“On?” Jou asked, leaning forward.

“How you treat him after this.” There was a sharp undertone to Yami’s words, a narrowing of his eyes, suggesting how the spirit felt about it.

“Is it the same for you?” Honda asked.

“No,” Yami said after a moment of consideration, a tilt of his head. “It’s not the same for me, but there’s nothing wrong with Yugi.” There was a fierce protectiveness there that caused Honda to shiver a little.

Looking from Honda to Yami, Anzu frowned and smoothed her skirt over her thighs. “Well, it doesn’t change anything, does it?” The eyes turned to her, and she stubbornly pressed on. “Yugi’s still the same. We just learned something new about him is all; it doesn’t change who he is.”

Honda began to nod slowly; the entire thing was still soaking in. After a moment he sighed and smiled a little, “Yeah, he’s still the same.”

“Yeah,” Jou said a little too loudly.

Yami finally offered a smile, proud that things were smoothing out. Yugi felt like turmoil and was definitely blocking out the conversation, hiding away in the puzzle, but there was a tiny hint of curiosity. Yami wasn’t angry, just concerned for him and now relieved that things were working out.

“I think I’d be best to let Yugi have some time alone for now,” Yami said. Jou, Honda, and Anzu slowly rose with Yami following. He walked them to the front door of the shop, and Sugoroku watched curiously. Yami felt the old man approach as he offered his and Yugi’s friends a small wave.

“I feel a little left out,” he said. “What was all the excitement about?”

Yami hesitated. He’d already angered Yugi by bring up the matter to his friends, and he was a little wary of making Yugi more mad at him. Still, this was Yugi’s grandfather, and Yami had always felt an affection for him.

“I see,” Sugoroku said with a hearty laugh. “A secret, is it?”

Shifting a little, Yami turned to him completely. “Yugi’s already upset with me so I’d rather—” Yugi’s grandfather clapped him on the shoulder, looking at him fondly, and Yami fell silent.

“You take good care of him.” He really looked into Yami’s eyes, unblinkingly, and more seriously added. “I do appreciate it. He’s been a lot happier now—with you.” Touched, Yami felt a little flood of heat creep up his face.

When Sugoroku said things like that, it always sent him thinking the same train of thoughts. He was being praised for being a parasite, living off of Yugi. He didn’t deserve the kindness Yugi, his family, and his friends constantly bestowed on him. They didn’t just tolerate his presence; they welcomed it. Yugi made time for him to “have” his body so he could duel and spend time with their friends. Everything that Yugi had, he offered to Yami. He was a spirit—a spirit with no memories. He never felt more like a burden.

_Partner…_ Yugi was calling to him, concerned, and his concern amplified the feeling. Yugi should have been furious with him.  _Yami._ Yugi’s concern was warmth, like the heat of the desert though he couldn’t remember, but it was familiar and it was kind.

He craved it and its familiarity. And felt guilty.

 

 


End file.
